When did it happen? Somewhere along the line, the duties of the salvor became somewhat oversimplified. Newer adjusters would probably tell you that the primary role of a salvor is to preserve and recover any remaining value in partially damaged merchandise. While much of the salvors' duties do apply to this definition, the actual services that they provide are of a far greater scope. Unfortunately, most adjusters and claim handlers hear the word "salvor" and immediately assume that their losses need to involve salvage in order for them to benefit from their services. The many duties that salvors have been performing for so many years have somehow gotten lost as newer adjusters move up the ranks.

Maybe it was the dot-com boom of the late '90s, which made its mark on the salvage industry, as well. Online auction sites claimed to be able to increase salvage recoveries for insurance companies, and suddenly the focus was on the sale of damaged merchandise. The fact that traditional salvors provide much more than a vehicle for moving damaged merchandise was overlooked. Selling the salvage is the easy part. In fact, on most losses, the accurate inventory and valuation of the stock is actually more helpful to the adjuster than being able to sell it. Many times, the amount of money a salvor saves an insurance company client is not even reflected in the sale of salvage.

For instance, take the manufacturer of lint rollers who submits a claim of $350,000 to the insurance company for water damage to a warehouse full of merchandise. By having a professional salvor sort through this merchandise and complete a separation of damaged and undamaged product, the insured can reach an agreement whereby the heavily water damaged product is dumped and the balance is retained to be re-packaged as necessary. This scenario, which ends up reducing the claim by at least $200,000, is something that does not show up as a salvage recovery, but is just as valuable to the insurance company.